The aim of this work is to study behavior of low cost mineral materials during convective drying: experiment and theoretical modeling. A first part is devoted to the physical and chemical characterization of materials. These are two Tunisian clays (AX and AR), a porcelain clay mixture (BC) and two clay mixtures (MG and CA) commercialized by the company BIBLIONTEK, one of which is a composite of clay and cellulose fibers (CA). Measurements of thermodynamic equilibrium, transfer proprieties and the mechanical proprieties were then made in order to understand the continued hydric, thermal and mechanical behavior of the materials. Experimental characterization of the drying kinetics for the MG and CA clay mixtures (MG and CA) was made on single layer samples or individual samples at different dry temperatures, relative humidities and air speeds. These kinetics were used to validate two theoretical models. The first is two dimensions of a deformable material saturated in water during convective drying was applied to the case of MG clay mixture. The spatial distributions of water content in the material, temperature and mechanical stress were simulated as a function of time and interpreted in terms of possible damage to the material. A second model, specific to a hygroscopic material contuning non saturated capillary pore, was also established. The model was applied to the clay-cellulose fibers composite material (CA). The mechanical damage to the material, conditioned by internal pressure due to the gas phase, was evaluated during the drying process. The conclusions of this research can be exploited in on industrial context in order to reduce energy costs of drying and improve final product quality.
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